Ray's Grill, a long-standing restaurant and bar on Barnum Avenue, has been closed for several weeks, as workers rip out the old interior to create a brand-new space.

The new Ray's will feature motorcycle parts throughout, black-and-white photos and a memory patch wall in honor of those who have died in motorcycle wrecks.

The renovation comes courtesy of Steve Matyasovszky and Christine Papp, both of Stratford, who bought the bar in May. "It's not the same old Ray's," said Matyasovszky, who has frequented the bar for 30 years. "The old place was known as a biker bar. We want to keep biker but go into the music scene, too."

"We want to be known as the music venue in town," added Jen Bridwell, his girlfriend and business manager.

Ironically, it was a motorcycle accident, which left Matyasovszky in a coma, with a broken back and punctured lung, that resulted in a settlement that helped finance the purchase of the bar, which had been for sale for several years.

And it was the bar's long history in town that attracted Papp, a former bartender, and Matyasovszky, who was a bouncer before he went into the truck-driving business, to the bar.

"It's a Stratford icon," Papp said, adding that it's the reason they decided to keep the name.

The pair hope to be open by Labor Day weekend.

Customers will still get bar favorites, like the "Death Burger," which consists of chili, jalapeños, cheese, hot peppers, tomato, lettuce, onions and bacon on a hamburger patty in a sub roll.

"It's one of the big sellers here, or at least it was for the old Ray's," Matyasovszky said.

And the porchetta and roast beef sandwich, a Saturday favorite, will still go for $3.50. "They've been that price for years," Papp said.

The decor won't be the only change in the bar, though. There will also be healthier options, like turkey and veggie burgers and salads. "We're trying to elevate the menu to better quality bar options," Bridwell said.

The new owners have also added children's items to the menu.

"We want (families) to feel like during the day -- during lunch hours -- you're more than welcome," Papp said.

The bar will feature entertainment nearly every night. From game night on Wednesdays to karaoke on Thursdays, Matyasovszky said he wants to cater to a more diverse crowd than the old Ray's.

Fridays and Saturdays there will be live bands, including a Sept. 27 show performed by Led Zeppelin cover band, Physical Graffiti. And the new bar layout will make it easier to enjoy the music because there will no longer be a separate room for the pool tables. And a 70-foot bar will replace the former 28-foot bar.

"People that have been here before won't recognize it," Bridwell said.

Once it re-opens, Ray's will be in business from Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.